Cavity Wall Insulation Removal

Extract UK are cavity wall insulation removal specialists with many years’ experience in the industry. We are experts in the latest cutting-edge methods to extract faulty insulation. We offer a cost-effective way to remove faulty or badly installed cavity wall insulation, which could cause problems such as damp, mould and crumbling plaster.

Many people’s homes have suffered from storm damage as driving rain has seeped through the outer brick wall of the home and been absorbed by the faulty insulation material in the cavity. The saturated material has then allowed the damp to pass right through the cavity, to the inner wall of the home.

We can help you if you are experiencing any issues with mould and damp in your home and have previously had cavity wall insulation installed. Please contact us and we can give you an obligation free assessment and advice.

A property may require cavity wall insulation removal for a number of reasons:

The building (or a particular wall) may not have been suitable for cavity wall insulation in the first place. i.e. a building with a high exposure to moisture, porous brickwork or mortar, steel & timber framed buildings are not suitable for retrofit cavity wall insulation; a prospective buyer of the property will not be able to obtain a mortgage.

Incorrectly installed insulation: This could be through a badly located drill pattern or through not carrying out a fill test to determine fill rate, leading to voids within the cavity. Voids can cause cold spots within a wall expanse, leading to condensation and damp problems.

Poor installation practices such as neglecting to take account of vents, designed to help the building breathe and stay dry.

Damaged insulation material. Earlier chemical compositions of cavity insulation are not as effective at retaining their physical and chemical properties, thus they can be susceptible to breaking-down.

The process of how we remove cavity wall insulation:

Cut a brick out at the bottom of the property using an arbortech allsaw. This specialist tool allows us to save the original bricks so we can put them back in when we are done.

Drill the existing insulation injection holes out but only using a 14mm hole not the standard 22mm. (Additional holes may be required above windows as this is a trap area for the insulation).

An extra row, 3 bricks above the damp proof course (D.P.C) is also needed to ensure all cavity wall fill is pushed towards – and sucked out by – the hoover, ensuring no insulation remains above the D.P.C.

Starting at the first hole, closest to the industrial Hoover (where the brick was removed), we use compressed air to force the insulation towards the hoover. This causes a gap in the insulation which allows the material to be sucked out. We then move a level above, to force the next section to the gap below and continue to repeat the process, forcing all the insulation downwards and out via our extraction hoover.

The extracted material is bagged on-site and removed under a waste carrier’s license.

The property is then checked with a boroscope to make sure the cavity wall insulation is removed. A specialist attachment can also be used to link the boroscope to an iPhone. This allows us to take photos and videos of the inside of the cavity, which then allows our customers to properly inspect our work, and ensure all insulation is removed for themselves. These pictures and videos can be retained for you records.